Set-up method for a mobile crane and mobile crane

Abstract

A mobile crane includes an undercarriage, a superstructure having a crane boom and a crane cable, and a plurality of support carriers for stabilizing the undercarriage in a correct operating state. In order to set-up the mobile crane, a support carrier is disposed in a disassembled state separately from the mobile crane in a waiting position. The support carrier is connected to the crane cable of the crane boom and is shifted between the waiting position and a receiving position which is disposed on the undercarriage. The support carrier is moved by the crane boom between the receiving position and a coupling position in a support box of the undercarriage in such a manner that the support carrier is guided in the support box at least in a substantially tension-free manner. A controller is configured to carry out the set-up method.

Claims

1. A set-up method for a mobile crane, the set-up method comprising: providing a mobile crane including an undercarriage, a superstructure having a crane boom and a crane cable, and a plurality of support carriers for stabilizing the undercarriage in a correct operating state; placing one of the support carriers in a disassembled state in a waiting position separately from the mobile crane; connecting the support carrier to the crane cable of the crane boom and transferring the support carrier between the waiting position and a receiving position disposed on the undercarriage; using the crane boom to move the support carrier between the receiving position and a coupling position in a support box of the undercarriage while guiding the support carrier in the support box in an at least substantially tension-free manner; and moving the crane boom along a preprogrammed trajectory for the movement of the support carrier between the receiving position and the coupling position.

2. The set-up method according to claim 1, which further comprises taking a reduced stability of the mobile crane into account when the support carrier is transferred between the waiting position and the receiving position.

3. The set-up method according to claim 1, which further comprises moving the crane cable along with the crane boom along the preprogrammed trajectory.

4. The set-up method according to claim 1, which further comprises orienting the trajectory in a linear manner.

5. The set-up method according to claim 4, which further comprises orienting the trajectory at right-angles with respect to the undercarriage.

6. The set-up method according to claim 1, which further comprises disassembling the support carrier by: initially using a drive to move the support carrier into the coupling position; coupling the support carrier to the crane cable in the coupling position; and uncoupling the support carrier from the undercarriage.

7. A mobile crane, comprising: an undercarriage; a superstructure having a crane boom and a crane cable; a plurality of support carriers for stabilizing said undercarriage in a correct operating state, said support carriers, in a disassembled state, being disposed separately from the mobile crane in a waiting position; and a controller configured to carry out the set-up method according to claim 1.

8. A set-up method for a mobile crane, the set-up method comprising: providing a mobile crane including an undercarriage, a superstructure having a crane boom and a crane cable, and a plurality of support carriers for stabilizing the undercarriage in a correct operating state; placing one of the support carriers in a disassembled state in a waiting position separately from the mobile crane; connecting the support carrier to the crane cable of the crane boom and transferring the support carrier between the waiting position and a receiving position disposed on the undercarriage; using the crane boom to move the support carrier between the receiving position and a coupling position in a support box of the undercarriage while guiding the support carrier in the support box in an at least substantially tension-free manner; moving the crane boom in a load-controlled manner; moving the crane cable in a load-controlled manner; and reading-out force sensors connected to at least one of the crane cable or the crane boom for the load control.

9. A mobile crane, comprising: an undercarriage; a superstructure having a crane boom and a crane cable; a plurality of support carriers for stabilizing said undercarriage in a correct operating state, said support carriers, in a disassembled state, being disposed separately from the mobile crane in a waiting position; and a controller configured to carry out the set-up method according to claim 8.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, elevational view of the rear of a mobile crane which is supported in the correct operating state on support carriers;

(2) FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of the mobile crane during a set-up operation; and

(3) FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a set-up method for the mobile crane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in which mutually corresponding components are always given the same reference numerals, and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a diagrammatic illustration of a mobile crane 1. The mobile crane 1 has an undercarriage 4 (also referred to as a “chassis”) which carries wheels 2 and the mobile crane 1 has a superstructure 6. The superstructure 6 can be pivoted relative to the undercarriage 4 about a rotation axis 8 which is orientated perpendicularly to the undercarriage 4. The superstructure 6 carries a crane boom 10 which has a plurality of segments 12 that are telescope-like with respect to each other, and which can be “rocked” about a rocking axis 14, that is to say, they can be pivoted through a rocking angle relative to the ground 16. In order to enable a stable upright position even with a laterally rotated superstructure 6 and an unloading crane boom 10 (see FIG. 1), the mobile crane 1 further also includes so-called support carriers 18 specifically four of this type in this instance. These carriers can be inserted into and pushed out of support boxes 19 which are disposed in the undercarriage 4. The support carriers 18 have a support component element 20, constructed by way of example in this instance as an I-shaped profile, and a telescope-like (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) support base 22. Furthermore, the mobile crane 1 includes a crane cable 24 which is guided over the crane boom 10.

(5) Depending on the axial load of the mobile crane 1—as in the present embodiment—the support carriers 18 are removably retained on the mobile crane, specifically on the undercarriage 4, in particular received in the support boxes 19 since, on many roads, the mobile crane 1 in the embodiment thereof illustrated in FIG. 1 exceeds the permissible axial load. Therefore, for travelling on such a road, the support carriers 18 are disassembled. Generally, an auxiliary crane is used for this purpose and unloads the support carriers 18 from the loading surface of a support vehicle and lifts them onto the mobile crane 1, specifically on the support boxes 19. In order to avoid the use of such an auxiliary crane, and the complexity which is associated therewith, the mobile crane 1 is configured to carry out a set-up method, which is described below in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. To this end, the mobile crane 1 controller 21 (also referred to as a control device) which is configured in technical programming terms to automatically carry out the set-up method.

(6) In order to dismantle any support carrier 18, it is first pushed out in a first method step S1 by using a drive 23—in this instance, specifically a hydraulic cylinder—along a guide rail (which is not illustrated) into a coupling position. Furthermore, in the context of a “reduced” bearing load curve (generally in the form of a table) which determines permissible pivot ranges for various hook loads, in this instance with unused support carriers 18, the crane boom 10 is operated with a comparatively short length and the steepest possible rocking angle so that a tilting movement on the mobile crane 1 is kept as small as possible.

(7) If the support carrier 18 is in the coupling position, in a second method step S2 the crane cable 24 is coupled to the support carrier 18 and the support carrier 18 is uncoupled from the undercarriage 4, specifically from the drive 23. In this state, the support carrier 18 rests freely in the guide rail.

(8) In a following method step S3, there is carried out a path control of the crane boom 10 and the crane cable 24 in that the support carrier 18 which is attached to the crane cable 24 is pulled along a linear trajectory 26 from the support box, specifically between the coupling position and a receiving position which coincides with the end of the guide rail. The trajectory 26 is in this instance selected in such a manner that the support carrier 18 is moved in a tension-free manner, that is to say, without forces which could lead to a tilting of the support carrier 18 in the support box or on the guide rail, between the coupling position and the receiving position. Additionally or alternatively, the support carrier 18 is pulled in a load controlled manner. In that case, the movement of the boom and/or of the crane cable 24 is controlled based on the respective load that is derived from the signals of respectively assigned force sensors 28.

(9) In a following method step S4, the support carrier 18 is moved by using the crane boom 10 into a waiting position which is preferably located on the loading face of the support vehicle (not illustrated). To this end, the support vehicle is preferably parked in extension of the mobile crane 1, that is to say, in front of or behind the mobile crane 1, since in this instance the tilting stability of the mobile crane 1 is sufficiently high, even without support carriers 18, so that the crane boom 10 where applicable can project further than illustrated in FIG. 2.

(10) In order to assemble (or mount) the respective support carriers 18, the method steps described above are repeated in a correspondingly transposed order.

(11) In an optional variant, the above-described path control is supplemented by a load control, through the use of which a load-dependent displacement of the support carriers 18 during the method step S3 is intended to be compensated for.

(12) The subject-matter of the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. Instead, other embodiments of the invention can be derived from the above description by the person skilled in the art.

(13) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 1 Mobile crane 2 Wheel 4 Undercarriage 6 Superstructure 8 Rotation axis 10 Crane boom 12 Segment 14 Rocking axis 16 Ground 18 Support carrier 19 support box 20 Support component element 21 control 22 Support base 23 drive 24 Crane cable 26 Trajectory 28 force sensor S1 Method step S2 Method step S3 Method step S4 Method step